1. FC Köln has another national player since Jonas Hector. Said El Mala can even hope to be nominated for the 2026 World Cup.
Julian Nagelsmann surprised on Thursday. Most recently, two very young top talents, Said El Mala from 1. FC Cologne and Lennart Karl from FC Bayern Munich, were at the center of the Bundesliga. The 19-year-old is making headlines for the Billy Goats, while the 17-year-old is making headlines for the record champions.
Now Nagelsmann decided to test one of the two in the national team. It was not a given that he chose the man from Cologne. In a country where FC Bayern is the measure of all things and also has the greatest influence, Karl would have been less of a surprise despite being only 17 years old.
For El Mala, the nomination is doubly an award. Meanwhile, Karl will take his place in the German U21 team. The DFB has done justice to both talents – and 1. FC Köln is pleased that El Mala will take the next step in an already rapid development and gain special experience at the highest level.
The offensive player does not have to see the invitation as a gesture, but rather can perceive it as a real opportunity. Nagelsmann only has this one international break in November and another in March to get a personal impression of the players who are eligible for the 2026 World Cup. The fact that the national coach has now given one of these squad positions to El Mala is a pointer.
And this pointer points towards the World Cup: El Mala is now officially part of the shadow squad for the big tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada. The last FC star who was allowed to play a tournament for Germany was Jonas Hector. El Mala could now jump on the bandwagon in its first Bundesliga season.
Too early? Not at all. The 19-year-old recently proved against Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern that he can cause trouble even at the highest level and can also pose big tasks for top defenders. At FC he has changed every game he has been thrown into. And that’s exactly what Nagelsmann is hoping for: El Mala could be exactly the type of joker that Germany needs at a tournament. So the dream of the World Cup is definitely real. As crazy as that sounds for a player who has only played nine Bundesliga games.